A Thousand Miles
by AmunRa
Summary: "My grandmother continued to deteriorate and I couldn't take the risk of hurting her. As much as I hated to, I had to do what the shinigami woman had said: I had to become a shinigami." Hitsugaya makes his decision and seeks out acceptance into the Shinou Academy.
1. The Choice

Greetings! Here is my second attempt at writing something short, and it's the first piece I've written in first person point of view. It was harder than I thought it would be, so I hope it turned out well. Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.

Spoilers for Hitsugaya's past, Matsumoto's too, to some extent.

There is no canon version of what happened after Matsumoto tells Hitsugaya to become a shinigami, so this is my take on it. I may add a chapter or two as ideas strike me, but it may very well end up being a one shot.

7/10/13

* * *

"_The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" ~ Lao Tsu_

I debated about what I wanted to say to her for many days, because I didn't want her to think that I was abandoning her. Nothing I thought of ever seemed right, so I finally decided to just come right out and tell her. I sat on the floor in our modest home, my legs tucked underneath me and my hands planted on the floor in front of me. I was trembling slightly and I hoped that my grandmother couldn't see it.

"Are you sure you want to go to the shinigami academy, Toushirou?"

_Am I sure? Of course not. Do I have to go to the academy? Yes._

"Yes, I'm sure, grandmother," I said instead, bowing my head even deeper because I knew that once I left she would be alone to fend for herself. I didn't want to leave her, but I didn't want to be responsible for her death either.

I didn't tell her about my dreams or about the big-breasted woman I had run into all those weeks ago who told me that I should become a shinigami. I had tried to put the encounter out of my head, but the more I tried to forget her words the worse the dreams of the icy plain and the voice I couldn't quite hear became. My grandmother didn't need to know all of that, not until I understood it myself.

"I'm so sorry," I said, my forehead to the ground. "I'm…"

Her hand on my head cut off my apology. She patted it gently and ran her hands through the unruly strands. She motioned for me to raise my head and I complied.

"You have always been very independent," she said, her face warm and kind. "After Momo left to go to the academy, I know that you felt like you had to take on all of the responsibility around here. Don't you worry, Toushirou. I will be fine here by myself. I will miss you and Momo terribly, but I know that you'll come visit me when you can."

I wanted to reassure her and tell her that yes, I would come visit at every opportunity I got, but Momo had said the same thing and she barely came by anymore. The familiar anger when thinking about Momo and her abandonment rose in me, but I squashed it down. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Go with my blessing," grandmother added.

I lowered my head again as tears prickled my eyes because I did not want her to see me cry. She reassured me that everything would be fine, that I should follow my own path, and that she would be fine by herself. I felt like the most selfish person in the world. Even so, I was still going to pack up my belongings and leave first thing in the morning.

I had to.

* * *

My grandmother walked with me to Seireitei's western gate. We said our goodbyes and I wearily walked towards the huge hulk of a man that stood guard there. I didn't know what to say. I'd thought long and hard about whether or not I should follow the woman's advice and become a shinigami, but I hadn't thought about what I would do once I actually made the decision. As it was, I stood nervously, wondering if maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"What can I do for you, young man?" the big man asked, his voice surprisingly gentle and kind.

"Um… I…" my throat closed in sudden fear. What would this guy do to me if he didn't like what I had to say? "My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou," I finally stammered out. "I'm from Junrinan and I was told by one of the shinigami that I should apply to the academy."

"Is that so," the big man said and peered down at me. I'm painfully aware of how short I am, but this man made me feel like an ant standing underneath an approaching shoe. I didn't like it one bit. "What is the name of the shinigami that talked to you?"

Name? I stood dumbfounded. I hadn't thought to ask her name.

"I don't know," I said. "She was tall with short, strawberry-blonde hair and big…" I trailed off, my cheeks blushing in remembered annoyance and embarrassment at having run into the woman's assets. "She has a big chest."

The giant continued to watch me and I started fidgeting nervously. I nearly jumped out of my skin when he spoke.

"Ah, I know! I'll be right back."

I watched the man disappear into thin air and wondered what it was that he suddenly knew. I didn't have to wait for long.

"She'll be here shortly," the man said when he reappeared. "Please wait patiently."

I nodded and set the bag holding my meager belongings down on the floor. I looked back to Junrinan and saw that a couple of people were standing on the perimeter watching the exchange. They were probably hoping that the giant man would crush me with one of his big hands. I'm sure they'd like to see me gone for good. I turned my back on them and settled for staring at the white wall. All I knew about Seireitei had come from Momo, and she made it out to be this wonderful, magical place full of wonderful people. I was a little too aware of the realities of the world so I didn't entirely believe Momo's interpretation of Seireitei. But, if the woman I'd met was any indication, there were some good people there.

"Hi Jidanbou, I was told I needed to come see you?"

I was startled out of my reverie when the woman from before appeared in front of the big man, Jidanbou. Her back was to me, so she hadn't yet seen me.

"You have a visitor," Jidanbou said and pointed at me.

The woman turned, her brows furrowed in thought as she caught a look at me. My heart sank at the thought that she might not remember me; this I had definitely not counted on. She walked towards me slowly, her blue eyes raking over my face as if trying to remember where she'd seen me. Once she was close enough to touch me, she kneeled so that we were at the same height and touched my arm. Her eyes widened.

"I know you, you're the kid that was being bullied by the candy vendor!" she said as she got to her feet. "So you decided to come after all."

"Yes," I said. There was something about this woman's personality that seemed to drown out everything. I wasn't sure how to deal with her.

"Then it's settled," she said, grinning. "Jidanbou, this young man is going to enroll in the academy. Please let him in so that I can go and make the necessary arrangements."

"Very well," Jidanbou said. "Welcome to Seireitei," he said as he opened the big gate for us to enter.

"Thank you," I said as I walked through, propelled forward by a hand on my back.

"What's your name, kid?" the woman asked me as we entered into the city proper. I almost didn't hear her question because I was so busy taking in the huge buildings and beautiful landscaping all around me.

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," I said.

"Well, Hitsugaya Toushirou, I'm Matsumoto Rangiku, 4th seat of the 10th division," she said and held out her hand. I took it and she enclosed my hand in a strong grip. "I'm glad you decided to come."

We walked in silence for a little while longer until my curiosity got the better of me. "Where are we going?"

"Well, the academy is currently in the middle of this term and it doesn't usually admit students in the middle of the year," she said.

My heart sank for the second time. "But you said I should come," I spluttered.

She turned to me and gave me a dizzying smile. "I said we don't usually admit students in the middle of the term, but you're special. I have no doubt they'll make an exception for you."

I wanted to ask her what made me so special and why she was so sure that I could get into the academy, but we arrived at what looked to be the center of the city and my attention was diverted to the many shinigami I saw moving about. Some moved alone and some in pairs and I got a few strange looks as I walked by. Every once in a while someone would greet Matsumoto and she'd return the greeting happily. She was apparently very well known and liked.

We walked for a little while longer until we arrived at a huge building.

"This is my division," she said as she ushered me in.

She walked through the halls quickly and I almost had to jog to keep up with her. We arrived at a room at the front of the complex and Matsumoto knocked on the door. I heard a voice come from inside but couldn't understand what had been said. Matsumoto opened the door and let us both in.

"Ito-fukutaichou," Matsumoto said as we walked inside the big office. There were two desks inside the room, one by the window and one on the other side of the room, with a couch in between them. The room was bright with natural light and looked very official.

"Who's your guest, Matsumoto?" the woman behind the second desk asked as she peered at me. She was petite with dark, wavy hair that came down to her waist.

"He's the kid with the huge reiatsu I told you about," Matsumoto said. "He came to enroll at the academy."

The woman behind the desk studied me for a moment, and I had to force myself not to frown at the intense scrutiny. She got up and came to stand in front of me like Matsumoto had done before. She smelled like lavender and her green eyes shone as they met mine. She was looking for something and, when she found it, nodded.

"You were right in suggesting that he come, Matsumoto."

The two women continued to talk, but the bigger desk by the window drew my attention. There was a bookcase behind it full of books and I wanted to go over there and see what they were. The desk was neat and clean and I wondered whose it was.

"That's the captain's desk," Matsumoto said as she came to stand next to me.

I nodded. No wonder the thing looked so important. Momo had gone on and on about the captains, the one she liked in particular, about how strong and powerful they were. No wonder this captain had such a nice desk.

"Where is the captain now?" I asked, wondering if Matsumoto would get in trouble for bringing me here.

"He's out on a mission," Matsumoto answered. "He'll be back in a few days. I need to go make some arrangements for you," she added. "Can you stay here with Ito-fukutaichou while I go do that?"

"Sure," I said, glancing at the other woman. She wasn't exactly unfriendly, but she didn't seem too open either and I wondered if she was freaked out about my appearance.

Matsumoto leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Don't worry, Ito-fukutaichou isn't going to eat you. She's already had her lunch."

My eyes widened and Matsumoto giggled. "I'll be back!" she said and left the room.

"Is she always like that?" I asked before I could stop myself.

The woman at the desk nodded. "You have no idea," she said. "Have a seat, this is probably going to take a while."

I sat on the comfortable couch and clutched my belongings to my chest. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

* * *

Matsumoto was gone a long time. People came in and out of the office to speak to Ito-fukutaichou and, while they were very discreet about it, I had no doubt that they asked questions about my presence there. The shinigami were polite to me, but I could see trepidation in their eyes when they looked at me. I should have known that things wouldn't be any different around here. Prejudice was the same no matter what your social status was.

I wished Matsumoto had told me what she was going to do and what I was waiting for. Was I waiting for permission to stay and enter the academy or was I waiting for dismissal? I didn't know what I was going to do if the shinigami wouldn't take me. I couldn't go back home to my grandmother… not when there was still a chance that I could kill her with this reiatsu that Matsumoto had told me about. I guess I could go back to living alone like I did before I met grandmother and Momo. The thought of that hurt, because I didn't want to go back to being alone.

"Sorry we took so long!" Matsumoto exclaimed as she walked into the office.

A tall man wearing a white haori walked in behind her, and I was shocked to see that he also had white hair. He exuded authority and power, and Momo's words about the shinigami captains crossed my mind at that moment. She had a point. They were cool.

Greetings with Ito-fukutaichou were exchanged before Matsumoto came over to me. "Ukitake-taichou, this is the kid I was telling you about," Matsumoto said and led the captain over to me. "Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"Hello, Toushirou-kun," the captain said as he sat on the couch next to me. "I'm Ukitake Juushirou, captain of the 13th division. Matsumoto-san has told me a lot about you."

I took the offered hand. Ukitake-taichou's hand was warm and callused, and the man smiled at me unreservedly. His friendliness was genuine, and I found myself relaxing just a little bit.

"Has anyone explained to you what's going to happen?" he asked.

"No," I replied.

"Ah, that's my fault," Matsumoto chimed in. "I was too excited about him being here."

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" Ukitake-taichou asked Ito-fukutaichou.

"You can use this office," she said as she got up from her desk, her hands full of paperwork. "I need to head over to the 5th division for a meeting with their officers and our captain is on a mission and not due back for a while. Matsumoto will make sure you're not interrupted."

"Thank you, Ito-fukutaichou," he said. Once Ito-fukutaichou had left the room and shut the door behind her, Ukitake-taichou turned to me.

"The Shinou Academy typically accepts students only once a year at the beginning of the term," Ukitake-taichou explained. "However, there is some room for exceptional cases like yours. If a captain-class shinigami is willing to sponsor you and you pass the entrance exam, you will be admitted."

I looked from Ukitake-taichou to Matsumoto and back again. I debated whether I should keep my mouth shut and let the captain continue his explanation, but the fact was that I was confused and I still didn't understand why these people who didn't even know me were willing to help me. What could they possibly want in return?

"What makes me so special," I finally asked. "Matsumoto said I had high reiatsu, but I don't even know what that is. Why would you care? Why are you even willing to help?"

I said more than I probably should have and waited for the reprimand to come. It didn't. Instead, Ukitake-taichou smiled kindly at me. He seemed to concentrate for a little bit and then I started to feel something warm around me. It wasn't uncomfortable, but instead soothing.

"Do you feel that, Toushirou-kun?" Ukitake-taichou asked.

"Feel what?" I asked him. "I feel warm, like being covered by a blanket…" I trailed off as his smile widened.

"That's the first time I've had my reiatsu described that way," he said, his eyes shining with mirth. "Matsumoto-san, your turn."

Matsumoto came to sit on my other side. I felt something prickling my skin, like little ants crawling all over me. It wasn't uncomfortable.

"I smell ash," I said. "Is there a fire going out?"

Matsumoto grinned. "Nope, that's my reiatsu," she said.

"You see, Toushirou-kun, those of us with high spiritual power have what we call reiatsu, or spiritual energy. It's unique to each of us and, once you learn to control it, should be unnoticeable to those around you. You have a lot of it, raw and untamed. I felt it the moment I walked into the room." He paused for a moment. "People have been giving you strange looks since you came in here, haven't they?"

"Yes, but that's normal," I replied. "Everyone gives me strange looks because of how I look."

"You do have unusual looks, but I bet you that everyone that came into this room could feel your spiritual energy."

"So what does mine feel like?" I asked.

"What do you think? Can you concentrate and tell me what you think it feels like?" Ukitake-taichou asked.

I closed my eyes and did as he asked. Thinking back to what I felt from the two shinigami, I tried to feel something similar in myself. It didn't take long for me to notice a cold aura around me. It was like a winter wind, cold and clean. It hung around me like a shield, sometimes calm but sometimes harsh and out of control.

I snapped my eyes open to find the two shinigami starting at me intently.

"Well?" Matsumoto asked.

"It feels cold," I said. "Like winter."

"That's what it feels like to me," Matsumoto said. "Like Ukitake-taichou said, you have a lot of it and the academy can help you learn to control it. You'll also learn other skills to hone your powers. You have a lot of potential, Toushirou-kun. That's why I wanted you to come."

"Why are you willing to help me?" I asked her. Then I turned to Ukitake-taichou. "Why are you willing to sponsor me? I don't have anything to give you in return."

"We don't want anything in return, Toushirou-kun," Ukitake-taichou said. "I think that you have incredible spiritual energy and, with some training and education on what it is to be a shinigami, you can become a great one."

"So what do you say, Toushirou-kun. Will you do it?" Matsumoto asked.

"Of course," I said. I'd made my decision when I left grandmother's house. There was no going back now.

"Very well, let's get started."

* * *

Ukitake-taichou had arranged for me to take the entrance exam the next day, so I was staying in one of the guest rooms in the 13th division overnight. Matsumoto had wished me luck and said goodbye when we left the 10th division, and a part of me was sad to see her go. Ukitake-taichou had introduced me to a couple of his officers and they'd been polite and friendly. One had taken me to the kitchen to get something to eat, but I was so nervous that I hadn't been able to eat much of it.

What if I didn't pass the exam? I hadn't had any formal schooling in Junrinan so I really didn't know all that much. I read a lot and grandmother had taught Momo and I how to write, but I'd never attended a classroom in my life. What if I was too ignorant to get into the academy?

I got up and paced around the small room in an effort to work off some of the nervous energy I felt coursing through me. Thoughts of Momo entered my mind and I wondered if I should look her up and tell her that I was here. Would she even care? I'd told her that I didn't want anything to do with shinigami, so would she think that I was a hypocrite because I ended up coming anyway? Would she think that I'd copied her or, worse yet, couldn't handle being alone with grandmother so I'd left instead?

I shook my head. No, thinking about Momo was useless right now. She had followed her own path and I would follow mine, wherever that may lead.

Finally tired, I lay on the bed and tried to shut my brain down. It wouldn't do me any good to worry about things now when it was too late to change the course of events. I was going to take that test the next day and I was going to give it my all.

With that thought I finally succumbed to an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Matsumoto had come by to pick me up at the 13th division and she'd walked with me to the Shinou Academy. It was a huge complex and I saw many students going about their business as we walked though the courtyard. Everyone seemed so much older than me and, for the first time, I wondered if maybe I was too young for this. Should I have waited?

We arrived at a building that was set apart from the others. The sign out front said "Administration" and Matsumoto led me through the corridors until we arrived at the headmaster's office. She ushered me inside and a tall, stern man with gray hair met us. He looked regal, and his immaculate clothing gave me the impression that this man was of high status. The man looked down his nose at me, as if he was bothered that he had to make this special exception for me.

"Yoshida-sensei is the headmaster of the Shinou Academy," Matsumoto explained. "He will administer the entrance exam."

I nodded and bowed respectfully. Matsumoto excused herself and closed the door behind her as she left.

"I've heard about you from both Ukitake-taichou and Yamamoto-soutaichou," Yoshida-sensei said as I straightened. He glared at me, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. "They seem to think that you have a lot of potential, but we'll see about that. Brats from Rukongai don't always have what it takes, no matter who they've convinced into believing in them."

I grit my teeth and avoided looking the man in the eyes. I was used to this type of prejudice, but even though I'd grown up with it, I was still angered by it. I'd run into so many nice people in Seireitei that I'd hoped people here were different. I should have known better.

I was led to a table at the back of the office where a computer terminal had been set up. I had never used a computer and my stomach did a little flip flop at the thought that this, too, could be part of the test. Rukongai brats, as the headmaster had put it, didn't have access to computers.

I sat down and placed my hands in my lap to hide their shaking. They were already sweaty and the test hadn't even started yet.

"Do you know how to use a computer?" Yoshida-sensei asked me.

"No, sir," I replied.

He quickly showed me how to use the keyboard, how to page through the exam, and how to record my answers. It seemed pretty straightforward.

"Alright, Hitsugaya Toushirou, you may begin your exam."

* * *

Four hours later, I walked out of the administration building with a raging headache. The exam had been a blur to me and I had no feeling as to how I did. The questions ranged in topics from mathematics to etiquette and I felt woefully undereducated and stupid right about now. I hadn't been paying attention to where I was going and I bumped into someone hard. I lost my balance and we both went down.

"Watch where you're going, shorty!" a male student said as he picked himself up off the floor. He looked at me and smirked. "What do we have here, another Rukongai brat wanting to join the ranks of the academy? Go home kid, this is no place for the likes of you."

The anger from my earlier encounter with the headmaster raged through me. I got up and took several steps forward until I was in the student's personal space. I ignored the fact that I had to look up at him.

"The likes of me?" I said. "What makes you think that you're any better than me?"

The student laughed. "I'm a noble, while you're just trash from the outside. That's what makes me better than you."

"Ah, so that means that you're here because your family got you in, not because you really deserve it," I countered.

The student's pale face flushed in anger and his dark eyes flashed dangerously. A part of me was screaming at me to stop, to just walk away and not make any trouble for myself, but another part was angry at this treatment and didn't want to back down.

"You little brat," the student said. He came at me with a right hook, but I easily got underneath it and got out of the way.

"Is that all you got?" I said. "I've run into girls that hit better than you."

We'd attracted a crowd of students by now and most of them were on the other guy's side. They were encouraging him to put me in my place and other such nonsense. I stood as tall as I could, my hands in fists at my side, waiting for the next move. I wasn't going to hit first, not unless it became absolutely necessary, but I wasn't going to back down either.

The student came at me again, much quicker than before. He seemed to disappear for a moment and reappeared in front of me before I could defend myself. He caught me by the shoulders and threw me. I flipped in mid air and managed to land on my feet, to the astonishment of the crowd. The student disappeared again, but this time I was able to catch a glimpse of him before he appeared in front of me. He crouched low; ready to sweep my legs out from under me. I jumped out of the way and avoided the sweep, but I wasn't able to avoid the follow through kick that caught me in the back as I flipped to avoid him. It knocked me off balance and I landed awkwardly on my hands and knees, hissing as skin was scraped off my palms, and probably my knees as well. The student came at me again, but a roaring command stopped him before his fist connected with my face.

"Enough!"

The crowd of students parted to let the headmaster and Matsumoto through. The headmaster looked angry and I got to my feet, breathing heavily. I had done enough damage already. Whatever the man had to say to me, I'd take it silently.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," the headmaster said, but the man wasn't talking to me, he was talking to the student that I had been fighting with. "You're a fifth-year student, and you felt that you had to resort to shunpo to defend yourself against an untrained child? You're lucky he could defend himself, if not you'd be looking at assault charges."

The student glared daggers at me, before he turned his attention to the headmaster. He bowed deeply. "I apologize, headmaster. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," Yoshida-sensei said. "The rest of you, get out of here. Don't you have classes to go to?"

The group scattered quickly, and the student that I had been fighting with gave me one last glare that promised retribution before he left. The headmaster also left without a word to Matsumoto or me.

"Making friends already, Toushirou-kun?" Matsumoto said. "I came to pick you up and, when I couldn't find you, started looking around. It wasn't hard to find you with your reiatsu going so crazy. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I lied. The truth was that my knees and hands were aching and my back throbbed where the student had kicked me. I hoped he hadn't bruised my kidneys.

"Let's let the medic determine that," she said and guided me into yet another building. This one smelled like antiseptic.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Matsumoto asked.

"People everywhere are prejudiced," I said and left it at that. She didn't need to know anything else.

Matsumoto didn't push the issue. We walked into a small room with a desk and a bed. A woman about Matsumoto's age came inside the room and greeted us.

"This young man just got into a scuffle outside," Matsumoto said. "Can you please check him out to make sure that there are no serious injuries?"

"Of course," the woman said and she instructed me to lie on the bed.

She said some sort of incantation and then her hands glowed green. Fascinated, I couldn't stop watching her as she ran her hands up and down my body. When she was finished, she lifted the legs of my hakama to look at my knees. The green glow returned and then the pain in my knees went away. She did the same thing to my hands and, when she was done, the split skin from the fall was gone and my hands were healed.

"Can you turn onto your stomach?" she asked and I did as instructed. "I'm going to take a look at your back, ok?"

I nodded and she pulled the kosode out of my hakama. She touched my back, down by the waist, and I yelped.

"He got you good," Matsumoto said.

Warmth surrounded my back and, when it was gone, so was the pain. The medic touched the spot again but I didn't feel any pain. She patted my upper back to let me know that she was finished and I quickly tucked my kosode back in place.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome," she said, smiling. "Don't get into any more fights."

"Yes, ma'am," I said as she left the room.

* * *

"So how was the test?" Matsumoto asked as we left the academy complex.

I walked behind her, unsure of where we were going. I wanted to stop and ask her, but figured I'd caused enough trouble already.

"I don't know," I finally answered. "It was a lot of information to take in at once."

"It can be pretty intimidating," she said. "I still remember mine. I left feeling pretty convinced that I had failed it."

We walked some more until we came upon the retail district of the city. Shops and restaurants lined the streets and shinigami walked about.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

Matsumoto pointed to a food cart set up down the street. "We have some time to kill before your results are ready. I thought we'd get something sweet to celebrate."

"I haven't gotten in yet," I said, and followed her.

"You will!" she said, a huge grin on her face. "I have no doubt that you will."

When they got to the vendor, the man waved at Matsumoto. "Rangiku-san, what a pleasure to see you today."

"Sato-san, it's always a pleasure to come for your cakes!"

She got two of them and handed one to me. The pastry did smell wonderful and my stomach rumbled, a reminder that I had skipped breakfast that morning. We settled down to eat our pastries and were almost done when a strange, black butterfly settled on Matsumoto's shoulder. She seemed to listen to something and then nodded. The butterfly took off and Matsumoto stood.

"Your test results are ready," she told me. "We need to get back to the academy."

My stomach did little flip-flops as we made our way back and I wished I hadn't eaten that pastry. Once at the administration building, we were ushered immediately into the headmaster's office where Ukitake-taichou was waiting. The headmaster walked over to me and handed me a piece of paper. I glanced at it, but all the numbers and graphs on it made little sense to me.

"Hitsugaya Toushirou, you have posted one of the highest scores on the entrance exam that we have seen in a long time. It is my pleasure to offer you admittance into the academy, starting next week."

I gaped at the man and then glanced at Ukitake-taichou and Matsumoto, both of who were grinning widely. I got accepted, and with a high score? I couldn't believe it.

"You will be placed in our first class, which is an advanced class for the brightest students. You'll have a lot to catch up on, so be prepared for a lot of extra work."

"Thank you," I said, dumfounded. I wasn't sure whether to jump for joy at having been admitted or cringe under the man's heavy glare. I was saved form having to decide by Ukitake-taichou, who patted me on the back.

"Congratulations, Toushirou-kun! What a marvelous achievement. Not many students qualify for the first class, and those that do are usually of noble heritage. You should be proud of yourself."

"I knew you'd pass," Matsumoto said and gave me a quick hug.

Ukitake-taichou and Matsumoto ushered me out of the headmaster's office talking about books and uniforms, but I stopped paying attention. My mind was still processing the fact that I had been accepted.

_This is it. There is no turning back now. Whatever happens, my path has been chosen. _

A small smile broke out on my face as I followed the two shinigami. I would handle this like I handled everything else: with hard work and determination. I'd decided to become a shinigami, and I was going to become the damn best one I could be.

* * *

To be continued?


	2. Not So Different

Greetings! The response to the story was good so I decided to continue it.

I've got the next two chapters written but want to try something new and am hoping that you can help. I'd like for you to make suggestions on what you'd like to see happen in the story. From your suggestions, I'll pick 3-5 and either write a full chapter or work them into a chapter. I've never written something from a request so I'd like to give it a try. The only guideline is that the suggestions be something that fit within the confines of the story (aka, no "Hitsugaya meets Ichigo" since that can't happen here).

Ninfia-fan brought up a good question last chapter: why is Matsumoto not a vice-captain? My reasons are these: in the flashback to where she meets Hitsugaya, she's not wearing the vice-captain's badge. In the manga chapter where they deal with 10th division's former captain, she was wearing it. So, in my mind, she meets Hitsugaya far enough back that she wasn't a vice-captain yet.

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to its wonderful creator and to all the parties who hold a stake in it. I'm only playing in the sandbox for a bit.

Warnings: none, other than there are OCs here.

Posted 8/5/13

* * *

**Chapter 2: Not so Different**

I stood in my small dorm room and looked at myself in the mirror that hung over the desk. The blue and white academy uniform looked crisp on me and fit perfectly, thanks to Matsumoto's insistence that she take me to get it tailored. I winced as I remembered the shopping trip with Matsumoto. Once we were done with the uniform, she'd taken me to get a few more pieces of clothing, toiletries, and other essentials for my new dorm room. She'd winked at me as she gathered item after item and said that, since Ukitake-taichou was paying, we should take advantage and get everything I needed. I got the impression that she was enjoying the shopping trip way too much and didn't wan it to end, so I ended up with more things than I'd ever owned in my life. I made a mental note to thank Ukitake-taichou for his kindness when I got the opportunity.

My stomach churned with nervousness. It had been a week since my admittance into the academy and I was going to finally join the ranks of students. I'd gotten more and more nervous as the day had approached and, right now, I felt like throwing up. I hadn't been able to sleep much the night before either.

_No use putting it off; let's get it over with, _I told myself with one last look in the mirror.

I grabbed the books I'd need for that morning's classes and left the room. The headmaster had given me my schedule and the syllabus for each class on the day I was admitted, and I'd spent the week since familiarizing myself with the material and catching up on the reading. The stuff I had to learn was daunting, and most of it was completely foreign to me. I was going to stand out not only for my looks, but because I was going to be the dumbest student in every class.

One good thing about having been accepted in the middle of the term was that I had my own room. It was in one of the older, less desired dormitories, but it was a room nonetheless. I liked the fact that I had privacy to study and didn't have to deal with someone else's distractions. That would change next term, but I'd deal with it then.

Once I was out in the courtyard among the other students, my heart started to pound. Some of them gave me strange looks, others greeted me, and a few girls spoke amongst themselves and giggled as I passed. When I got to my first class, History of Seireitei, I waited outside for the professor so that I could introduce myself to her and so that she could introduce me to the rest of the class, as the headmaster had instructed me to do.

"You must be my new student, Hitsugaya."

I turned towards the voice to see an older woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and a warm smile. She was short, just a little taller than me, but she held herself well and walked with confidence. Like the headmaster, this woman seemed cultured and probably came from a wealthy family, but unlike the headmaster, she didn't seem offended by me.

"Good morning, Watanabe-sensei," I said and bowed.

"It's rather unusual to have a student join our ranks during the middle of the term," she said as she opened the door to her classroom. "You must be something special."

She motioned for me to walk ahead of her and so I led the way inside. As soon as we stepped into the room, all conversation stopped. There were quite a few students in the classroom, maybe a couple of dozen, and they were all looking at me. A few of the students whispered to one another, but I couldn't hear what was said.

"Good morning, class," Watanabe-sensei said. The students rose, bowed, and said good morning. "We have a new student with us today. His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou. Hitsugaya, why don't you sit on the second row next to Suzuki?"

I looked in the direction the professor was pointing and saw a girl with red hair sitting by a window. The seat to her right was empty so I made my way over to it. I greeted her as I took my seat and she shyly greeted me back.

"Alright, we were discussing the Gotei 13…"

The class started and I focused on the professor. I'd caught up on the reading for this class so I wasn't terribly lost. The history of Seireitei was fascinating and I absorbed the information like a sponge. I saw a couple of students nodding off during the lecture and I couldn't understand why. This was very interesting.

When Watanabe-sensei dismissed us, I gathered my books and left class, quickly heading for the next one. The process of introductions, strange looks, and whispers was repeated over and over again until I got to the lunch hour. I went to my room instead of going to the cafeteria. I was too nervous to eat and I didn't want to spend time in a room full of strangers that may or may not want to start something. The morning classes were all on theory, which wasn't going to be a big deal because I could read the course material and become familiar with the information. The afternoon classes, however, were practical: kidou, reiatsu control, and zanjutsu, the art of fighting with the zanpakutou. I had no clue how I was going to get through any of those. I didn't even know how to begin catching up on my own. Maybe my professors would be willing to help.

* * *

I was wrong to hope I'd get some help from the professors beyond them giving me more reading material. It was helpful material, but useless since I didn't know how to gather reiryoku for a kidou spell or how to control my reiatsu so that it didn't leak. Wasn't that what I had come to the academy to learn in the first place? They'd tried to show me, but with so many students in a class they didn't have time to spend with me to go over the basics. The only professor who had spent some time with me was Kudou-sensei, the zanjutsu instructor. He'd given me my asauchi, the sword that would someday become my zanpakutou, and explained to me that I was to carry it with me everywhere I went so that I could be ready to commune with my zanpakutou spirit whenever I had any down time. He'd then showed me some basic forms and pointed out where in the textbook I could learn more about the fighting style.

I sighed in frustration as I made my way back to my room. My brain felt like it was going to explode from all of the information that had been put in it in one short day. I was six months behind the other first year students and they seemed so much further ahead than me. What if I couldn't catch up? Would Ukitake-taichou rescind his sponsorship and send me back to Junrinan?

I put the thought out of my head for the time being. It was only the first day. Surely I wasn't going to fail at this on my first day? I went to my room, dropped off my books and decided to risk the cafeteria. I'd not eaten anything all day and my stomach had been angrily reminding me of that fact for the past half hour. I had much reading to do that night and I wasn't going to be able to focus with my stomach growling every five minutes. I'd just go in and get out quickly. How much trouble could that possibly be?

I should have known that things wouldn't be easy. I'd managed to get my food with no trouble and was heading towards an unobtrusive part of the cafeteria when a foot connected with my shin, sending me flying forward. The hot soup on my tray splashed onto my arms and face, but I managed to twist at the last minute and avoid landing on the breakable dishes. They clattered to the floor, breaking with a loud crash.

Laughter roared in the cafeteria as I picked myself up, careful not to trip on the spilled soup and rice on the floor.

"You should stay down there where you belong."

I clenched my fists and turned to glare at the student who'd tripped me, the same one who I'd gotten into that fight with the day of the entrance exam. He wasn't alone this time; he was with four of his friends.

"What is your problem?" I said, trying not to concentrate on the burning on my face and neck from the broth.

"My _problem_ is that the academy seems to be letting anyone in these days, even brats who should be at home with their mommies."

The comment raised a few laughs from the students that had gathered around to watch.

"You shouldn't be surprised," I said. "They let you in, didn't they?"

The student came towards me, but I refused to back down, even though my heart was pounding loudly in my ears. He seemed surprised, as if he expected that his sheer approach should have had me cowering at his feet. His four friends came to stand behind him, all looking threatening and ready to pound some sense into me.

"Five against one is a little unfair, don't you think?"

We all turned to the voice, and I watched as a red-haired kid approached us from the other side of the room. He was older than me, but about the same age as the group in front of me.

"Mind your own business, Suzuki," my tormentor said to the newcomer.

"I don't think so, Chiba," the red head said. "If you want to pick on first years, do it where I can't see you."

My tormentor now had a name: Chiba. Chiba looked at Suzuki and then at me. He leaned closer to me and said in a low voice so that only I could hear: "This isn't finished."

With one last look at Suzuki, Chiba and his group left the cafeteria. I looked wearily at Suzuki. "Thanks," I said.

"No need to thank me," he said. "I hate it when he gets like that. This is your first day, right? I hadn't seen you before."

"Yes, first day," I said and leaned down to pick up the broken dishes. I put them back on the tray and looked for a place to leave them.

"Over there," Suzuki said, pointing to a room next to the serving line. "Tell the attendant there that some food needs cleaning up out here."

I nodded and did as instructed. The front of my uniform was stained and I used what parts of the sleeves weren't wet to wipe my face and neck. I was shaken a bit by the encounter but it really shouldn't have surprised me. Chiba was going to be one of many confrontations, I was sure.

I left the facilities room after talking to the attendant, intent on going back to my room to change, but a wet towel shoved in my face stopped me in my tracks.

"Here," a shy, female voice behind the towel said. "You should clean the broth off your face before it burns you."

I took the offered towel and found the read-headed girl from my first class standing there. Her name was Suzuki, wasn't it? I wonder if she was related to the guy that intervened on my behalf?

"Took you long enough," said guy said as he came to stand behind the girl. "We thought you'd gotten lost in there."

I looked from one to the other: the guy was clearly older than the girl, but their similarities meant only one thing: siblings.

"I believe you know my sister, Suzuki Kumiko," Suzuki the elder said. "I'm Suzuki Takeshi, fifth year. I've been dealing with Chiba for all of those 5 years, unfortunately. "

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," I said. "Is he always like that?" I added as I wiped my face and neck. I could already feel the skin burning and hoped it didn't look red and blotchy.

"He's from one of the wealthier and more influential families, so he thinks he's better than anyone else," Suzuki-san said. "It's not just you guys from Rukongai that he picks on, it's anyone that he doesn't feel fits his standards."

"Even you?" I asked. "You're not a good enough wealthy kid for him?"

Suzuki-san's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What makes you think I'm from a wealthy family?"

"You said 'you guys from Rukongai'," I said. "Besides, the fact that Chiba listened to you says a lot, too."

Suzuki-san laughed. "You're observant."

I shrugged. "It's a necessary skill where I come from."

The elder Suzuki raised an eyebrow at the comment but chose not to comment.

"Thank you, Suzuki-chan," I said as I handed the cloth back to my classmate. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"You're not going to eat?" Suzuki-san asked before I could leave them.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I said, and my stomach chose just that moment to growl loudly.

Both Suzuki siblings started laughing. "Come on, get something to eat," Suzuki-chan said. "You can sit with us. No one will bother you."

I opened my mouth to protest but a tray was shoved into my arms and I was pushed towards the serving line. I _was_ hungry, and the siblings didn't seem like such bad people to be around. I acquiesced with a grumble and got my dinner for the second time that night. I couldn't help but notice the stares from the other students as I made my way through the cafeteria to where the siblings were sitting. No doubt what happened with Chiba and his crowd was going to get around the school by tomorrow. I'd have to be extra vigilant. No need to give any other potential bullies any ideas.

I ate my dinner in relative peace after that and learned a little bit about my two new friends.

* * *

_I was standing on the plain of ice again, buffeted by sleet and snow. The wind growled around me, deafening in its intensity. It buffeted at my clothes and scratched my skin, leaving icy trails where it touched. There was something else in this place… I could feel it in my chest, rumbling. But when I looked at my surroundings all I saw was white. _

"_Where are you?" I yelled into the storm. "I know there's something there, show yourself!" _

_The wind intensified, howling its displeasure at my disturbance. My hair whipped about my head, strands of it hitting my face. I slowly moved forward, looking for what I knew was there, but all I saw was white. _

_Suddenly, a roar form up above made me jump. I looked up but saw nothing but snow whirling around me. _

"_Hello? I know you're there!"_

_The roar intensified, getting louder. I strained to look through the storm and thought I saw a glint of red off in the distance. The sound was so loud around me that I could feel it on my skin, making the hair stand on end. Whatever was making that sound was very, very powerful. I reached out a hand, wanting to touch that power. Something came near it, something cold and icy, something alien and familiar at the same time… _

I woke up to the sensation of hands on me. My eyes snapped open but my vision was soon lost when a blindfold was tied around my eyes. I opened my mouth to shout, but a gag was pushed inside, making me gag. I was turned onto my stomach and my arms were pulled behind me and tied at the wrists. I was hauled off my bed and I gasped as my bare feet came into contact with the freezing floor.

"What the hell happened in here?" a disembodied voice said. "It looks like a freaking blizzard hit."

I took a moment to orient myself: I was still in my room, but now surrounded by four people. I concentrated like I'd done in the 10th division's office and felt for the reiatsu around me. I sensed five signatures, not four. Damn it, five against one was definitely unfair.

"Doesn't matter, let's take him."

The voice sent shivers down my spine and I started struggling. I managed to pry myself away from the hands that were gripping my arms and ran, head first, into the guy in front of me. I hit him in the stomach and he went down with a crash that was nowhere near loud enough to signal that there was trouble to anyone outside the room. I felt one coming on my right and dropped, swinging my right leg out to knock him off his feet. Before I could get to my feet again, something hard collided with the back of my head and I dropped to the floor, dazed. Someone kneeled beside me and pulled my head off the floor by my hair.

"I told you this wasn't finished, Hitsugaya."

Chiba's voice in my ear was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

* * *

Short chapter. Next one should be longer. Don't forget to send me some suggestions for a chapter or two.


	3. Reunions

Greetings! Here's the next installment. Thank you for the reviews and the support.

A couple of you were wondering if this story would feature Kusaka. The answer is no. I liked the movie because of its focus on Hitsugaya, but I don't have any plans to include that storyline here.

Warnings: some violence and language

Disclaimer: Just borrowing the Bleach characters.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 3: Reunions**

When I came to, I was lying on the dirt somewhere outside. I still had the blindfold on and my wrists were still tied behind me, but they'd taken the gag out of my mouth. I fought down the panic that threatened to claw its way out of my chest in the only way I knew how.

"What's the matter, Chiba, afraid I'm going to kick your ass so you bring your cronies and tie me up?" I said with a lot more bravado than I was feeling.

There was no response, but I could sense that the five of them were still there. I couldn't see them, but I was sure that I'd be able to identify them anywhere. I pulled myself up to my knees and then to my feet. The ground was damp and soft, at least. My bare feet appreciated that small kindness.

The one to my left, Chiba, made the first move. I ducked under the fist he threw at me, but he'd been expecting that and brought his knee up to connect with my stomach, knocking my breath away. I stumbled but stayed on my feet. I desperately worked at the cloth binding my hands but the knot was holding well. The second one came from the front. I forced myself to stay still, trying to picture which one it was and how he was going to attack. He was the smaller of the bunch, closer to my height, so I kicked and hoped that I'd hit him where I wanted. Sure enough, the high-pitched whine that erupted from his mouth when my foot connected let me know that I'd hit the spot.

I would have laughed, but another one came at me from behind. He shoved me forward, where someone grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around so that they could grab my arms. My feet were still free, but before I could kick, fists found their mark on my stomach chest and back. They were careful not to touch my face or anywhere that wouldn't be covered by my uniform. I noticed that the same three people kept hitting me, while two stood just out of reach and watched. By the time they were done, I was on my knees panting, barely managing not to topple onto my face. I was dizzy and nauseous and hurt all over.

Someone undid the bind at my wrists and pulled the blindfold off. He shoved me forward and I landed on my front, barely able to catch myself with my recently freed arms. By the time I got my bearings and turned onto my side, they were gone. I lay on the damp ground and looked up at the clouds above me, dizziness making the nightscape twist around me. My stomach clenched and I managed to get to my knees before I lost the contents of my stomach. I retched until there was nothing left to come up, slightly worried that there was something seriously wrong. I'd taken beatings before, but I'd never felt as crappy as I did now.

I lay back down on the ground and breathed through the dizziness and the pain. Somewhere in the back of my mind the thought that I had to get back to my dorm surfaced, but I squashed it down in favor of closing my eyes for just a little bit. It couldn't hurt to rest just a bit, could it?

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was peeking out of the horizon.

"Damn it," I muttered as I got to my feet.

The night's chill had made me stiff, but at least the dizziness and nausea seemed to have diminished. I needed to get back, but I didn't know where I was. I picked a random direction and started walking; it wasn't long until the academy's training grounds came into view. I made it through the training grounds and into my building in record time and was back in my room before anyone saw me. The room was still a bit chilly, and the dream I'd been having before I was so rudely awakened came back to me. I'd been so close to touching that power…so close.

I grabbed my uniform and made it to the common shower area. It was still early enough that I shouldn't run into anyone there either. I stripped and gasped at the mess of black and blue on my chest, stomach, upper arms and legs. My back was probably bruised as well, but I couldn't see it. The bastards had done a magnificent job of making sure the bruising would stay covered by my uniform. Anger rushed through me at that moment. I was angry with them for attacking me and angry with myself for being too weak to stop it. Tears prickled my eyes and I wiped them off. I wasn't going to be weak anymore. I was going to learn to be a better fighter despite the disadvantage of my height and weight. I would learn to hone this power that everyone said I had and use that to not only defend myself but those that were important to me.

It was with that thought that I poured cold water over myself and scrubbed the dirt out of my hair and body. What happened last night was not going to ever happen again.

* * *

I made it to class on time, but had a hard time staying awake. It wasn't that the lecture wasn't interesting. Watanabe-sensei was talking about the noble houses, which I should probably learn about in order to recognize who was who at the academy, but my eyes kept losing their focus and my head kept drooping. I'd managed a small nap before I came to class, but it apparently hadn't been good enough.

I was packing my books after class when Suzuki-chan approached me.

"Are you ok, Hitsugaya-kun? You look pale."

"I'm fine," I said and tried to smile at her, but my vision blurred for a bit and I probably ended up grimacing.

She got really close to me and put her hands on either side of my face. I fought the urge to pull away, since the only thing she did was stare at my eyes.

"Your pupils are dilated," she said and started to feel around my head. I hissed when she came upon the place where I'd been hit the night before. She turned my head so she could see the injury better and gasped.

"Did you fall, Hitsugaya-kun? You have a bump back here."

She gently pressed on it and I hissed again and pulled away. I had forgotten about that hit. I'd gotten knocked out from that… no wonder I'd been nauseous and dizzy.

"Yes, I fell this morning getting out of bed," I lied and felt horrible when she looked at me skeptically. She knew I was lying but thankfully didn't press the subject. I had no doubt that she would later.

"You may have a concussion. You should go have it looked at," she said, her arms folded across her chest. "If you don't take care of it, the symptoms may get worse."

"Thanks, Suzuki-chan, I'll go get it looked at, I promise!" I said as I left the room.

No way was I going to the nurse again. She'd no doubt recognize me from last week and want to know what I was doing getting into fights. Not that this had really been a fight in the first place… I cut the bitter thought out of my head and went to my next class.

I managed to fool everyone else and no one questioned me or wondered if something was wrong. Not that anyone else knew me enough, or cared, to wonder. It wasn't until my zanjutsu class that someone else noticed something was off.

"You're moving slow, Hitsugaya," Kudou-sensei said as he came at me with his sealed zanpakutou. "Even with your inexperience with the asauchi, you should move faster than this."

He slashed at me and, though I tried to block, the asauchi was knocked out of my hand and the tip of his zanpakutou hit me in the shoulder. The hit wasn't meant to be hard, but it hit a tender spot and I winced. Kudou-sensei picked up my asauchi, handed it back to me, and studied me carefully.

"I heard about what happened with Chiba and his friends in the cafeteria," Kudou-sensei said. "Want to tell me your side?"

I shook my head. "Chiba and I started off on the wrong foot, that's all. There's nothing wrong."

Kudou-sensei studied me again and I knew that he knew I was lying. Finally, he sighed. "This happens every year with the upperclassmen, unfortunately. You, who came in in the middle of the year with a recommendation from one of the captains, would draw more attention."

"Wait, everyone knows that?" I asked, surprised.

"Secrets are very hard to keep around here," Kudou-sensei said, mirth shining in his brown eyes. "You'll learn soon enough. But yes, everyone knows you scored incredibly high on the entrance exam and that you have the backing of a captain and a fourth seated officer. Things like that make some people jealous."

"Even teachers?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Kudou-sensei chuckled. "Yes, even teachers. You've encountered some resistance from professors, I take it?"

"A bit," I replied, figuring I owed the man some honesty. "Now I guess it makes sense."

"Don't let that distract you," he continued. "Focus on the fact that Ukitake-taichou saw something in you worth exploring. You're here for a reason and, no matter what people like Chiba tell you, you're in the right place."

I nodded in appreciation of the words he said. I felt better knowing that I had at least one ally. I warred with myself for a bit, because I didn't like admitting I needed help, but this was important.

"Kudou-sensei, could you help me with something?" I asked, looking at him to see how he was going to react.

"Of course," he said. "What do you need?"

"Can you teach me to be really good at taijutsu and zanjutsu? I don't want to fight for the sake of it; I want to be able to protect my friends and myself. I'll do whatever you ask and I'm a quick learner. It won't take too much of your time, I promise."

Kudou-sensei grinned. "I know you're a fast learner. I've had you in class for two whole days and you've already picked up two weeks worth of lessons from your own studying. Come to the dojo Saturday morning at 9 and we can get started."

I smiled, my first genuine smile since I'd gotten accepted into the academy. "Thank you, sensei," I said and bowed.

He went to his bag and rummaged around it for a bit, before he pulled a small container out and handed it to me.

"This is a fast acting salve," he said. "It'll help with any bruising."

I took it gratefully and bowed again.

"Now get yourself to the nurse, Hitsugaya. I don't want you passing out in my class."

"Yes, sir," I said and left the classroom.

* * *

In my defense, I did go to the nurse's office. It wasn't my fault that she wasn't there. I didn't wait around to see if she'd come back, so instead I decided to go to the library. There had to be some genealogy books in there that would help me figure out what the social class structure was in Seireitei and, by extension, at the academy. I had a feeling I was going to need to know how it worked in order to successfully navigate around the different levels.

I was halfway to the library when a voice I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever stopped me in my tracks.

"Shirou-chan?"

I should have known I'd run into her eventually, but didn't think it'd be this soon, especially now when I was feeling so badly.

"Shirou-chan, what are you doing here?" Momo asked as she reached me. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down. "You're a student at the academy, no less. How did that happen? How long have you been here? Didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with shinigami?"

I heard one or two of the questions through the buzzing in my ears, but I was too busy looking at her to form coherent answers. She looked radiant and happy and completely at home in her shihakusho. Her brows were furrowed in confusion as she looked at me and she looked a little worried.

"Hinamori, is everything ok?" someone asked from behind her.

Momo released me and turned to her companions. "Yes, of course it is! This is Hitsugaya Toushirou, we grew up together and now he's a student at the academy." Momo then turned to me. "Shirou-chan, these are Kira Izuru and Abarai Renji. They're my friends from the academy."

I tried not to wince at the ridiculous nickname she insisted on calling me but decided not to bring it up now. I nodded to her two friends, who looked at me strangely.

"How long have you been here?" Momo asked. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I haven't seen you to tell you I was coming," I said, more vehemently than I intended. The concussion must really be doing a number on me. Momo's eyes widened and she looked hurt. "I've been here for a week," I said, more careful with my tone. "Today was my second day at the academy."

"They let you in during the middle of term?" the redhead, Abarai, asked.

I ignored him. "Grandmother is fine," I said to Momo. "She knows I'm here."

"Of course, I didn't mean to imply she didn't," Momo replied, a bit defensive. "Why are you here?"

I thought about it for a moment. How much did I want to tell her? If what had brought me to the academy, the dreams and the freezing temperatures that had affected my grandmother, had happened to me years ago before Momo had left for the academy herself, I would have immediately told her what was going on and what was troubling me. Ever since she'd left, however, I'd started to feel a chasm between us. She'd moved on to bigger and better things, while I'd stayed behind in my boring and uneventful life. We were no longer on that same wavelength and I wasn't sure that she even cared. Most importantly, I didn't know whether I wanted to trust her with the information.

I shrugged. "It was just something I needed to do."

"You know, kid, not everyone that gets in actually finishes the academy," the blonde, Kira, said. "You have to be really smart and determined to make it through."

I glared at him. "I don't recall asking for your opinion," I said.

"Shirou-chan! Don't be so rude."

"Stop calling me that, Hinamori," I said, her family name slipping out of my mouth before I knew it. She looked at me for a moment, shocked.

"I'll call you by your name when you graduate from the academy," she said with forced cheerfulness.

"Fine, do whatever you want," I said and turned to go. Her hand on my arm stopped me.

"Let's talk, okay?" she said. "Where is your dorm? I'll come by after classes are done for the week and we can catch up."

I told her where I was staying and the smile on her face, the same smile that had always made me feel better after an illness or after a particularly bad day with the villagers, widened. A part of me felt giddy that I had been able to make her smile.

"I'll see you later," I said and walked away.

"He's got quite a temper," I heard one of the guys with Momo say and I smirked. Serves him right for getting into other people's business.

I kept walking and, after a while, realized that I wasn't heading for the library anymore. Instead, I found myself at the training grounds. My head started pounding and the thought that I should probably head back to my room crossed my mind momentarily and was just as quickly dismissed. I was here and I needed to start figuring out how I was going to catch up with kidou and reiatsu control when I didn't know the first thing about either one of those things.

I headed for the training field furthest from the buildings and stood in the center of it. I closed my eyes and felt deep into myself, like I'd done that day with Ukitake-taichou and Matsumoto. I felt my reiatsu: cold, fresh, and wild. I tried to imagine it like a blanket and tried to pull it around myself, but felt it go a little more out of control. The blanket I was imagining blown out of my hands by the buffeting reiatsu. I grabbed it and tried to wrap it around myself, but it only blew out of my hands yet again.

I opened my eyes and sighed. What the hell was I supposed to do? I knew what my reiatsu could do. Hell, I'd felt it myself last night after Chiba and his goons had woken me up. And what was up with that thing in my dreams? What was it? What did it want?

"Second day and you already look hopelessly lost. I would have given it at least a week."

I turned to find Matsumoto standing behind me, her hands on her hips, her hair fluttering in the mild breeze. Her mouth was quirked up in a smile that made her yes twinkle with the light of the setting sun.

"I'm not _hopelessly_ lost," I said, "I'm just a little off track."

Matsumoto got closer and her smile faded. She looked at me carefully and the scrutiny started to make me uncomfortable.

"What happened?" Matsumoto asked as she focused on my eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," I said, wondering how she was able to tell something was off.

"Liar," she said. She walked up to me and turned my head to the side. The quick movement made me dizzy and I couldn't help a small groan. She let go of my head and grabbed my kosode. She pulled it open at the chest enough so that she could look at my bare skin. "That doesn't look like nothing."

I pulled away from her.

"Let me guess, you got a head injury and bruising on your stomach by falling off your bed?" she asked sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly how it happened," I retorted as I straightened my clothes and looked at her, daring her to challenge me.

She continued to glare at me for a while until she seemed to come to some conclusion and sighed. "It's your business," she said finally. "But if I ever see this again, I'm going to make it my business."

"Fine," I said, because I had no intention of letting Chiba and his goons lay a hand on me ever again.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Surely you don't make it a habit of hanging out at the academy's training grounds."

"Smartass," Matsumoto said. "As a matter of fact, I was here looking for you. When I felt your reiatsu I thought I'd come see what trouble you were getting into. I didn't expect to see you looking like you wanted to decimate that tree in front of you. What were you doing?"

"I was trying to feel my reiatsu," I said after a while. "I was in class today and they were going through some exercises but I didn't know how to do them. I thought I could teach myself."

"What kind of exercises?" she asked.

I shrugged, not really sure what they were myself. "Something about controlling the intensity of your reiatsu so you could stifle it or forcefully release it."

"Ah, the very basics of reiatsu control," Matsumoto said. "What part was confusing?"

"All of it," I replied. "I don't know how to reach my reiatsu, never mind control it to that degree. That's why I came here."

Matsumoto looked thoughtful for a moment and then she snapped her fingers. "You missed the step by step training given at the beginning of the year," she said. "No wonder you're lost."

I stared at her; surprised it had taken her this long to figure it out.

"This is only my second day, you know," I said.

"Smartass," she muttered again under her breath. "So you missed a measly 6 months of classes, big deal. We'll get you caught up in no time."

"What do you mean, _we_? I asked.

"'I mean _we_ as in _you_ and _me_," she said. "I'm going to teach you what you missed. You're probably struggling with kidou too, I bet."

"Yes," I replied. "Wait, you're going to teach me?"

"What, you don't think I can do it?" she retorted, sounding slightly hurt.

"No, that's not it at all," I said quickly. "You're a busy officer; you don't have time for me."

Matsumoto put a finger to her lips, deep in thought. "True, but I'll make a special exception for you. I don't think my captain will mind my mentoring of a young and promising future shinigami."

I opened my mouth to say something but she cut me off. "Not tonight, though. You need to get some salve on those bruises and watch the concussion. If you have trouble staying asleep tonight, go to the nurse in the morning. You don't want that to worsen."

"Ok," I said. "Thank you, Matsumoto."

She beamed at me and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"See you in two days, here at this same time," she said and disappeared.

I looked at the spot she'd just vacated. I couldn't wait until I could do that.


End file.
